Crown arranging and presenting device for bottling-machines.



Y H. A, ALLWARDT. GBOWN ABRANGING AND PRESENTINGDEVIGE FOR BOTTLI'NGMACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED D30. 30, 1907.

908,059. Pe mtented Dec. 29, 1908.

' HENRY A. ALLWARDT, OF

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTQE.

nErRorr, M omeAN, Assienor. OF ONE-HALF 'ro WILLIAM J. STAPLETON, orDETROIT, MICHIGAN. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

, Application filed December 30, 1907. Serial No. 408,636.

To all whom it ma concern:

Be it known; that I, HENRY A. ALpwARDT, a citizen of the United States,reslding at Detroit, in the county of Wayne, State'of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Crown Arranging andPresenting Devices for Bottling-Machines; and I do declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make'and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, andto the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Thisinvention relates to a machine f0 arranging and presenting to thefeeding mechanism the metal crowns or caps em -ployed' in crowning orcapping bottles after being filled with carbonated or aerated beverages,a type of such filling and crowning machine beingshown in my co-pendinapplication filed November 1 5, 1907, Seria No. 402,245.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts forso arranging and presenting said crowns as hereinafter more fully setforthand pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means forgathering the crowns from a hopper in which they are receivedpromiscuously, arranging them in proper order and presenting them to afeeding mechanism in position to beapplied to the bottle when filled. I

The above object is attained by the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of a bottlefilling and crowning machine like that shown in my above mentionedapplication, provided with my improved means for arranging andpresenting the metal crowns thereto in a manner to be successivelyfedinto the machine in the operation of filling. and crowni g, a portionof the base of said machine being roken away. Fig. 2 is an enlargedtrans- .verse section through the hopper in which the crowns arecontained, and through'the rotary drum therein through the medium ofwhich the crowns are suitably arranged and successively fed into thefeed spout leading to the bottling machine. Fig. 3 is a sectional viewas on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4

.of the hopper being fiat.

.at the end t is a plan view-of the hopper with the inclined tableremoved. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in section through the arc of saidrotary drum showing one of the crown receiving pockets therein.

On referring to the drawing it will be seen that the hopper is providedwith the straight sides 1 and the flaring ends 2, the bottom 3 Crossingbetween the sides of the hopper and journaled therein is a horizontalshaft 4. Fixed to said shaft and rotatable therewith -is a drum 5.Formed inthe periphery of said drum at one end are the annular recessesor pockets 6 of a diameter to receive the metal crowns 7 and having atapered wall. Formed upon the periphery of said drum and extending fromsaid pockets to the 'opposite end thereof are the spiral ribs Sarrangedin parallelism and .spaced such distance apart as to allow a crown tolie between them.

Embracing the lower arc of the cylinder5 ereof in which the pockets areformed and of such width asto extend over -.said pockets is a curvedplate 9 which is supported at one end by a horizontally extending.portion 10 thereof which is attached to one of the end walls of thehopper. Depending from the lower arc of the plate 9 1s a spout 11 whichis preferably cylindrical and of a diameter to receive said crowns, theupper end of said spout opening through the curved plate 9 andcommunicating-successively with the pockets in the periphery of the drumas said drum is caused to revolve, as clearly shown in Fig. .3.

In the upper portion of the hopper is an inclined table 12 whichcrossesthe hopper transversely and upon which the crowns are initiallydeposited, the incline'of said table causing the crowns to be dischargedinto that portion of the hopper between the drum 5 and-the end of thewall of the hopper upon the left of said drum, as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, the amountv of crowns which are fed into thehopper being SUlllClBIll) at. all times to maintain a supply of crownsof such quantity as to partially cover the periphery of the drum.

By a rotation of the shaft 4wliich may be driven in any suitable manner,the drum 5 isturned to the right, thereby causing the spiral ribs 8thereon to engage and carry up- Wardly upon the drum the crowns whichare in the hopper adjacent thereto. As the a drum rotates the incline ofthe spiral ribs is such as to cause the,crowns carried between said ribsto move longitudinally of the drum i As the toward the pockets 6therein. crowns are conveyed to the pockets by this movement, those thatare in a position to present the top portion thereof to said pocketswill drop therein because of the fact that the taper of said pockets ismade tocorrespond with the tapered formation of the crowns. Those,however, that are in the reverse position, cannot enter the pocketsbecause of the fact that the diameter of the crowns across their flaredportion isgreater than the diameter of said pockets except at theirextreme outer edge. Therefore these crowns which are not presented tothe pockets so as to enter therein, will project outwardly and will beremoved from the periphery of the drum by the fender plate 13 which issecured to the end of the hopper and extends vertically into contactwith the periphery of the drum in line with the pockets therein, asclearly shown in Fig. 2,

'while the crowns which properly enter the pockets 6 will lie thereinbelow the periphery of the drumso that they will pass the fender plate13, the crowns being retained in the pockets by the forwardly projectingend of the curved plate 9 which extends upwardly around the periphery ofthe drum in a manner to confine the crowns in the pockets thereof untilsaid crowns, by the rotation of the drum, are presented in verticalalinement with the spout 11, into which said crowns will drop from thepockets so as to become stacked therein with their tops uppermost, asshown in Fig. 2, in which position they are fed into the head of themachine wherein the bottle is crowned. B

this arrangement the spout 11 is kept full of crowns for as often 'as acrown is used from the spout at the bottom, room is made for anadditional crown at the top which enters the spout from the pocket inthe periphery of the drum which is next brought into position toregister therewith by the rotation of said drum.

As the crowns are carried around in the pockets of the drum they areheld in said pockets by the curved plate 9 when passing tinues torevolve. .In this manner a continuous supply of crowns is maintained inexcess of the number of crowns used, thereby insuring at all times thepresentatlon of a surplusage of crowns to the feeding mechanism whichpresents them to the bottles for crowning and'also insuring the feedingof the crowns in proper position for use.

It will be noted on referring to Fig. 5 that one side of the taperedwall of each of the pockets 6 is formed at a greater in clinc than theother, as shown at 14, the purpose of which is to prevent the crownssticking in said pockets when they chance to lie in the reverse positiontherein, said inclined wall t1 being upon the upper side of the pocketswhen each in turn by the rotation of the drum is caused to pass thefender 13, whereby they are readily brushed from the pockets by saidfender and are permitted to fall into i the bottom of the hopper wherethey may be into said pockets as the drum rotates, and a spout intowhich the crowns are discharged from said pockets.

2. In a machine for the purpose set forth, the combination of a hopper,a rotary drum therein, said drum having peripheral pockets adapted toreceive bottle crowns, means for conveying the crowns into said pocketsas the drum revolves, means embracing the lower arc of the drum forconfining the crowns in said pockets and a spout with which the pocketssuccessively communicate into which the crowns are discharged therefrom.1

3. In a machine for the purpose set forth, the combination of a hopper,a rotary drum therein having pockets formed in the periphery thereof,means upon the drum for directing bottle crowns into said pockets, aplate embracing the lower arc of the drum to confine the crowns in thepockets thereof, and a spout to receive the crowns, said spout passingthrough said plate and communicating with the pockets of the drum.

t. In a machine for the purpose set forth, the combination with ahopper, means for directing crowns into one side of the hopper, a drumjournaled in the hopper having POCK- ets in the periphery thereof,spiral rihs upon the drums for directing bottle crowns into said pocketsas the drum revolves, a curved plate embracing the lower arc of thedrum, a tube adapted to receive the crowns communicating with thepockets of the drum through said plate, and a fender engaging theperiphery of the drum in line with the pooh ets therein adapted toremove projecting crowns.

' the combinationof a hop I machine for the purpose set forth, thecombination of. crown receptacle, a crown vfeed spout leading from saidrecep tacle, a traveling member within said .re-

Ina

ceptaclehaving pockets for collecting the pocketscommunicatingsuccessively with the feed spout for discharg-' crownstherein, said mgthe crowns into said spout in regular order with theirtops uppermost. i v- 6. In a machine for the purpose set forth,

I ber therein, said'member swing a peripheral er, a rotary niempocketadapted to receive bottle crowns,

means for directing the crowns into said pocket as said member rotates,and a spout 15 mto which the crowns, are discharged from the pocket ofsaid member.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

HENRY A. ALLWARDT. Witnesses:

O. B. BAENZIGER, I. G. HOWLETT.

